MADRID, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o
will be sidelined for up to five months after having surgery to
repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, the Primera Liga club
said on Thursday.

'We carried out the operation this afternoon and found a
meniscus in perfect condition apart from the damaged area,'
Barca doctor Ramon Cugat told Spanish media.

'We told Samuel, who was conscious throughout, that we could
repair it and that was what we decided to do. To remove a
professional sportsman's meniscus alters the biomechanics of the
knee, and you could pay for that later.

'He is a young player, and the fact we have been able to
preserve the meniscus means that when he recovers it will be as
if he had never had an injury, although it has a longer recovery
time.'

Originally doctors had thought Eto'o would be out for two to
three months.

He will miss next month's league clash with Real Madrid and
the rest of Barcelona's Champions League group stage matches.

The Cameroon international, 25, suffered the injury during
Wednesday's 1-1 draw away to Werder Bremen in the Champions
League.

Eto'o asked to be substituted in the 65th minute after
pulling up on the pitch, and was carried off on a stretcher.

The absence of the three times African Player of the Year
will be a major blow to the European and Spanish champions who
lose their top scorer from the last two seasons.

Eto'o scored 24 league goals in the 2004-5 season and ended
as the Primera Liga's top scorer last year with 26, bagging
another six in their triumphant Champions League campaign.

Coach Frank Rijkaard will have to turn to Iceland striker
Eidur Gudjohnsen and Argentina's Javier Saviola to lead the line
in his absence.